Britain has become a leader in Europe in remote work: what is holding back other countries

The UK topped the list of European countries by the number of days its employees work from home. On average, this is almost two days a week. At the same time, Greece has the lowest level of remote work due to the peculiarities of its economy and culture. This is reported by UNN with reference to EuroNews.

DetailsAs the publication notes, the UK leads among 18 European countries in the number of remote work days. It is stated that English employees spend an average of 1.8 days a week working from home.

On a broader scale, this indicator places the country second among 40 countries surveyed.

What are the remote work indicators in other European countriesAccording to the Global Working Conditions Survey (G-SWA), remote work trends have changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth wave of the study, conducted from November 2024 to February 2025, covered full-time employees aged 20 to 64 with a full higher education.

The global average for remote work is 1.2 days per week, but it varies greatly across the 40 countries surveyed – from 0.5 days in South Korea to 1.9 days in Canada.

Why is Britain a leader in Europe in terms of remote work?Dr. Cevat Giray Aksoy, leading economist at the EBRD and associate professor at King’s College London, explains this with several factors. According to him, the UK scores high on cultural individualism, which is closely linked to comfort in an autonomous work environment.

He added that the country’s long and strict lockdowns accelerated the adoption of remote work infrastructure and norms. In addition, the labor market structure is focused on service sectors such as finance, consulting, and media, where working from home is quite realistic.

Most importantly, British workers have developed strong and persistent preferences for hybrid work, typically wishing to work from home 2–3 days a week. This is no longer a minor preference; it is a core expectation 

He also warned that companies that do not take these changes into account risk losing talent, especially in competition with other English-speaking countries where flexibility is the norm.

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The UK’s closest “competitors”In Europe, the closest to the UK are Finland (1.7 days) and Germany (1.6 days), as well as Portugal (1.5 days), Hungary and the Netherlands (1.4 days each).

Workers in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Sweden work from home approximately 1.3 days a week, slightly above the global average. Romania, Spain, and Austria match it with 1.2 days of remote work.

Dr. Aksoy explains that these differences across countries are due to structural, cultural, and economic factors. The strongest of these is individualism – a cultural trait that emphasizes personal autonomy and self-reliance over collective goals or close supervision.

Also important are the duration of quarantine measures, population density, and the industrial structure of the economy. Countries with a large share of IT and financial sectors are better equipped for the development of hybrid work. High population density also encourages working from home due to long commutes.

The lowest level of remote work in Europe is recorded in Greece – only 0.6 days a week.

This is partly due to the structure of the economy, which is based on tourism, retail, and hospitality – sectors that require physical presence

He also noted that deeper cultural and institutional factors play a role, as Greece scores relatively low on individualism.

According to him, before the pandemic, digital transformation and management practices in the country were underdeveloped, which slowed down the adoption of remote work.

Among the northern countries, Finland stands out with the highest level of remote work (1.7 days), while Norway and Denmark have significantly lower indicators – 0.9 days each, and Sweden is in the middle with 1.3 days. This indicates a significant gap in remote work trends in the Scandinavian region. The reason is the difference in culture – in Finland, more attention is paid to individualism and work-life balance, unlike Denmark and Norway, where more traditional management approaches are maintained.

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Finnish organizations, especially in the public sector and technology, were among the first to introduce flexible working hours even before the pandemic 

Among Europe’s largest economies, France has the lowest level of remote work – averaging 1 day per week. Turkey – 0.9 days, and Poland – 1.1 days.

The global level of remote work is gradually stabilizing – it decreased from 1.6 days per week in 2022 to 1.33 days in 2023, and to 1.27 days in 2024–2025.

However, this stability does not mean stagnation. Gradual changes are still possible, related to new technologies, demographic shifts, and labor market development

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